Apple made the most significant overhaul to its operating system with the updates for iOS 7, which rolled out to the public on September 18th.

Reuters

Almost two and a half months after the launch, iOS 7 is running on about 74% of active iOS devices, according to data from Apple, which tracks platform distribution through its App Store. More importantly, a further 22% of active iOS devices are running the previous version of the platform, iOS 6. In sum, 96% of Apple iOS devices are running the two latest versions of the platform.

Compare that to Android, which also recently released the newest version of its platform, Kit Kat, on October 31st. Updated platform distribution data from Google's developer website shows that in one month, a paltry 1.1% of Android devices are up to date. Also, only 56% of Android devices run either Kit Kat or its predecessor, Jelly Bean.

While earning potential between the two platforms is now almost equal, developers still welcome a more unified platform where they can target a majority of active users. (Apple Developer)

In other news...

In the U.S., smartphone penetration climbed 4.1% from July to October. Interestingly, Android grew market share 0.4%, while Apple managed to add just 0.2%, despite the strength of its iPhone 5S and 5C sales. (comScore)

To better compete with other mobile music streaming services like Rdio, Slacker, and Deezer, Spotify will begin to offer its entire user base some free access to streaming on their mobile phones. Currently, only Spotify Premium subscribers have mobile Spotify access. (TechCrunch)

In another sign of cable cord cutting among the younger demographic, research from Harris Interactive shows that 43% of adults 18-36 subscribe to Netflix compared to 46% who subscribe to cable. (Statista)

Twitter is looking to emulate the way Facebook reaches mobile users in emerging markets by entering a partnership with Singapore-based U2opia, which would provide users of limited mobile phones a dial-in option to access Twitter from their handsets. (Reuters)

Sometimes consumers opt to buy a full-price phone off-contract, but still pay for a full-priced shared mobile data plan as well. U.S. carrier AT&T claims it is tweaking parts of its shared mobile data plans to lessen the burden on its no-contract customers. In the long run, this may also be a strategy to incentivize customers to pay for full-priced phones. (CNet)